These 12 lectures by Professors Cook and Herzman will give you a rounded, fully informed introduction to the luminous Francis of Assisi and will tell the intellectually and spiritually rewarding story of how his influence has glowed across the centuries.Just who was Assisi? Despite his continuing influence and the fairly ample writings about him that date from his own time, Francis remains somewhat elusive in history. Yet these lectures expertly unlock two sources that are the most revealing and plentiful-written narratives of Francis's life and the images created for Franciscan churches.

Loved it

Cooking taught by chemists

Overall

1 out of 5 stars

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

Story

1 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 03-22-19

I couldn't get through this book at all. The authors don't seem to have a grasp of Christianity and they're intended audience is assumed to have no knowledge of the Bible. How you can expect to understand St. Francis of Assisi with that kind of handicap is beyond me. It was like listening to chemists describe a blueberry muffin using an electron microscope. Everything they said was factually correct, but completely useless. They understood the data, but they didn't understand the story or its meaning.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Thanks a Thousand

A Gratitude Journey

By:
A. J. Jacobs

Narrated by:
A. J. Jacobs

Length: 3 hrs and 12 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
154

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
138

Story

4 out of 5 stars
138

Author A.J. Jacobs discovers that his coffee - and every other item in our lives - would not be possible without hundreds of people we usually take for granted: farmers, chemists, artists, presidents, truckers, mechanics, biologists, miners, smugglers, and goatherds. By thanking these people face-to-face, Jacobs finds some much-needed brightness in his life. Gratitude does not come naturally to Jacobs, but he sets off on the journey on a dare from his son. And by the end, it’s clear to him that scientific research on gratitude is true. Gratitude’s benefits are legion.

A Big Thanks!

Great if you like NPR

Overall

2 out of 5 stars

Performance

2 out of 5 stars

Story

2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 02-13-19

It's a great idea, but I found the writing and the reading annoying. AJ is sort of a metrosexual, postmodern guy and the book reads like an NPR piece or maybe a TED talk.If you like that sort of thing, this book is for you.

The book effectively recapitulates Milton Friedman's excellent analysis of the pencil which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5Gppi-O3a8

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

The Little Way of Ruthie Leming

A Southern Girl, a Small Town, and the Secret of a Good Life

By:
Rod Dreher

Narrated by:
Rod Dreher

Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
95

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
83

Story

4 out of 5 stars
83

The Little Way of Ruthie Leming follows Rod Dreher, a Philadelphia journalist, back to his hometown of St. Francisville, Louisiana (pop. 1,700) in the wake of his younger sister Ruthie's death. When she was diagnosed at age 40 with a virulent form of cancer in 2010, Dreher was moved by the way the community he had left behind rallied around his dying sister, a schoolteacher. He was also struck by the grace and courage with which his sister dealt with the disease that eventually took her life.

So beautiful!

What made the experience of listening to The Little Way of Ruthie Leming the most enjoyable?

This was very moving and thought-provoking. It made me ponder how, in my own life, I take love, family, neighbors and friends for granted. Definitely worth a listen.

The Book of Mormon

By:
Joseph Smith Jr. - translator

Narrated by:
Sean Crisden

Length: 25 hrs and 19 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
450

Performance

3.5 out of 5 stars
390

Story

4 out of 5 stars
389

Here is an audio edition of the sacred text of the Latter-Day Saint movement that followers believe contains the writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2200 B.C. to A.D. 421. A fascinating listen for religious scholars and denominational adherents alike.

Very poor production

Worst Production Ever

Overall

1 out of 5 stars

Performance

1 out of 5 stars

Story

2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 02-18-15

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Leave out the chapter and verse numbers. Really. Whoever thought this was a good idea was a complete idiot. I actually listened for 10 minutes before I realized the chapter and verse numbers were going to continue on and on and on and on and on ....

What do you think your next listen will be?

Something without any numbers in it at all. I've had a numbers overdose listening to this rubbish.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

1. He read chapter and verse numbers2. No, really, that's what he did3. After each sentence4. Was another number5. Because he wanted to drive us all mad6. Or something like that789101112131415I love numbers now! So much!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Clarence Thomas

In Conversation at the 92nd Street Y

By:
Clarence Thomas

Length: 1 hr and 32 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
69

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
54

Story

5 out of 5 stars
55

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas speaks with Jan Crawford Greenberg on his career in the court system, his shift in ideology from radical to conservative, and his opinions on affirmative action and the limits of the power of the court. Clarence Thomas is a graduate of Yale University Law School and the author of
My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir.

Interesting and worthwhile!

Clarence Thomas - 5 stars, Jan Greenberg - 0 stars

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 02-14-14

Any additional comments?

Clarence Thomas gave a brilliant and moving interview to a progressive blockhead, Jan Greenberg. Jan is a liberal ideologue of the first water, and was unable to process most of what Justice Thomas was saying. In spite of that, the interview is well worth hearing. No doubt, Justice Thomas had plenty of experience with this kind of thing and navigated it with grace and charm. It's frustrating because Jan misses most of Justice Thomas' points and her follow-up questions come from the echo chamber in her head rather than the person sitting across from her. After hearing this, I went out and bought "My Grandfather's Son" immediately. I just wish there was an Audible version of that, read by Clarence Thomas.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

The Art of Letting Go

Living the Wisdom of Saint Francis

By:
Richard Rohr OFM

Narrated by:
Richard Rohr OFM

Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
817

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
665

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
653

We often think of saints as rare individuals whose gifts far exceed our own, and St. Francis is no exception. But for Fr. Richard Rohr, a prolific author and renowned speaker, the life and teachings of this beloved figure offer an authentic spirituality we can all embody.

delivery a bit disappointing;still a 5 star listen

Appallingly bad

Overall

1 out of 5 stars

Performance

1 out of 5 stars

Story

1 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-02-12

What would have made The Art of Letting Go better?

I was hoping for a book on letting go of material things and instead I got a retread of Jimmy Carter's 1970s "Malaise" speech. Richard motivates Letting Go through either easily disproved assertions or foundational principles that are temporary. We're too materialistic these days, so we need to let go of things. So if we lived in, say, the Great Depression, it would be OK to party on? Franciscan attitudes should be preached independent of political leanings and current events, but Richard cannot let go of these. The book is dragged down by them to the point where I tried each chapter, looking for something free of Richard's personal ax-grinding, but never found it.

Would you ever listen to anything by Richard Rohr again?

Probably not. His political world view permeated what I hoped would be a spiritual book.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Richard may well be a gifted theologian, but he's no voice actor.

4 of 17 people found this review helpful

The Modern Scholar: The Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas

By:
Prof. Peter Kreeft

Narrated by:
Peter Kreeft

Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
646

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
518

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
508

An enthusiastic admirer of the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, professor and philosopher Peter Kreeft details the rational thought and precise literary talent that established Aquinas as the foremost thinker of his time - and as the most important philosopher for the almost 200 years between Aristotle and Descartes.